deck spindle repair/deck rebuild

Recommended Posts

anytractorman
1

anytractorman 1

I changed the heading and have added to the thread rebuilding the deck parts and spindles.I picked up a 48" deck for the 3416, So now I want to take it all apart. I took off all the brackets and hanger took the belt covers off and now the spindle pulleys, I took off the bolts and the spindle shafts look splined sprayed with PB blaster but they are stuck or am I missing something? So how do they pulleys come off?

Share this post

Link to post

Share on other sites

Al
6

Al 6

They should come off the spline as is. We usually put a 7/16" bolt about 3 inches long in them and turn it in until it bottoms out.

Next one of us holds the pulley and the other uses a 3 to 5 lb hammer on the bolt. Sometimes we use an air hammer, but if you hold it, it doesn't mess u p the outer flang es of the pulley. A puller guarantees a new pulley will be needed.

Share this post

Link to post

Share on other sites

Al
6

Al 6

On the double pulley on these decks and any pulley that is high enough to do it we use a press. We take an old Kohler rod and saw it off. Then we put the bottom of the rod around the hub of the pulley and use a large throat arbor press. We slide flat bars across the press and on each side of the conn. rod. This way the rod is supported in the press and on the top side, the rod is against the flat of the pulley right at the weld. Then we put a long 7/16 bolt in the arbor hole until it bottoms out. Next we press on the bolt and push the shaft out of the pulley. This lets you force the pulley off with out putting any pressure on the flanges of the pulley damaging them. You could put the bars across anything solid similar to a press frame and use a 5 or 8 pound hammer.

Share this post

Link to post

Share on other sites

anytractorman
1

anytractorman 1

Well I got the spindles out and all apart, this is pita job. Appears these have been apart before. Most of the bearings are rusted,so I will get all new ones from a bearing shop nearby.Thanks for all the suggestions.

Share this post

Link to post

Share on other sites

Vassal
0

Vassal 0

I see I'm late to this one but I thought I'd attach a picture of a bearing tool we use at work. I think it might make this process a little easier and I'm pretty sure you can borrow or rent this from most auto parts stores. It's basically a more costly (if purchased) version of what Al mentioned earlier. Just imagine the differential bearing in the image is the spindle pulley and you can see how the tool should properly support the pulley by it's hub underneath. I have not yet tried it for this exact purpose, but I think with careful use, it would do the job without damaging the pulley.

Share this post

Link to post

Share on other sites

Al
6

Al 6

This would work if you had the big end of the Kohler rod where the bearing is and the rod was between the flat of the pulley near the hub and the flanges on the pulley didn't touch the puller. If you put any pressure on the flanges of these pulleys, they will bend and then they are junk, as the belt and mower will jump all over because of the damaged pulleys.

Share this post

Link to post

Share on other sites

HubbardRA
12

HubbardRA 12

One of my friends mad a slide hammer puller for those pulleys. He cut a piece of 1 inch thick steel into a heart shape so that there were two pieces that went under the pulley and fit against the back face, without touching the area where the belt runs. You then smack it a couple times with the slide hammer and it comes off. I don't have a picture of the unit, but I used it to pull a stuck axle from a car rear end recently.

Share this post

Link to post

Share on other sites

anytractorman
1

anytractorman 1

It took a little work to get the center off,I heated it then let it sit for a bit then heated it again then screwed the bolt in and smacked it 4-5 times and it loosened right up. the outside ones came off easy.

The spindles were a different story. I used a arbor press to pop the flanges off, then flipped the housing over and pushed the spindle out with the bearing. Then pushed the bearings off the shaft.

Share this post

Link to post

Share on other sites

Al
6

Al 6

When you reassemble it put a walnut or golf ball sized gob of grease in each arbor and put silicone between the halves and your bearings will last 3 times as long. I got in an argument with the factory regarding the grease fittings in the arbors. I said it was just a marketing ploy and with sealed bearings it made no difference. They disagreed and argued their case. Over the years they won and I had to admit defeat. The grease does nothing to lube the bearings, but it settles to the bottom of the arbor and when water gets through the seam on the arbor, it keeps it from rusting the OUTSIDE of the bearing and rusting under the seal and then getting into the bearing and causing premature failure. I had to surrender; They put this amount of grease in them new now. The grease fittings are immaterial, and if someone goes overboard and greases and greases the arbors will fill up and then the grease will be forced out between the halves and bend them also will push the seals into the balls in the bearings. We tell people to grease them about 3 pumps once a year.

Al Eden

Share this post

Link to post

Share on other sites

anytractorman
1

anytractorman 1

Thanks for the advice.The spindles have grease fitting.I can see the top needing a seal to help water from getting in If you grease them regularly the bearing should be fine. Also the bearing dist. has steel seals on some bearings and rubber seals on others,the steel ones should not collapse inward like the rubber in theory.

The top bearings were shot the bottoms spin nice because they were full of grease where it had settled on them. The spindle covers could have a spacer with a felt seal between the top bearing and the bottom bearing with a grease fitting to lube the top bearing.Just a thoughtsm00.

Share this post

Link to post

Share on other sites

larry8200
1

larry8200 1

Hi all, I'm going to do a post on this soon, it's one of my maintenance quarrells with Simplicity too. I forget what the book say's, couple of pumps a year or some crap. When I lube my deck, I'll put 30 pumps or more sometimes, until I hear the grease "pop" throught he top bearing. Simplicity says NOT to do this, you might get some grease in the belt bay and cause slippage. BAH. What you might do is keep the belt bay from rotting out! My deck is as quiet as any of ever heard, and 4 of the bearings ame from a 7016 and the other 2 from the original deck on my 3416H. I did some maintenance on my Dad's 18HP 2000 Sovereignin in april, maintained by the book. The top bearings were really rumbling! I pumped over a full tube into the arbors (and they are the short ones) before grease went through the top bearings AND the whole time the grease was pushing out WATER! finally queited down though I restored the 7016 deck to "Like new" for my 3416H you can see it on show & tell, "My 3416H" gotta go, Larry

quote:Originally posted by Al

Hi,When you reassemble it put a walnut or golf ball sized gob of grease in each arbor and put silicone between the halves and your bearings will last 3 times as long. I got in an argument with the factory regarding the grease fittings in the arbors. I said it was just a marketing ploy and with sealed bearings it made no difference. They disagreed and argued their case. Over the years they won and I had to admit defeat. The grease does nothing to lube the bearings, but it settles to the bottom of the arbor and when water gets through the seam on the arbor, it keeps it from rusting the OUTSIDE of the bearing and rusting under the seal and then getting into the bearing and causing premature failure. I had to surrender; They put this amount of grease in them new now. The grease fittings are immaterial, and if someone goes overboard and greases and greases the arbors will fill up and then the grease will be forced out between the halves and bend them also will push the seals into the balls in the bearings. We tell people to grease them about 3 pumps once a year. Al Eden

id="quote">

id="quote">

Share this post

Link to post

Share on other sites

Rick3410
0

Rick3410 0

I'm in a similar position as the original poster. I have removed the hubs from a 42" deck and am stuck with the pulley removal process. I've tried the 5 lb. hammer but nothing budges. I don't have a press so that option is out. Does anyone know a simple way to do this without destroying the pulleys? If I am willing to destroy the pulleys, what the easiest way to remove them? At least one of my pulleys has damage and will need to be replaced anyways. Also, is there a good way to clean the pulleys to get rid of any rust imperfections?